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Friday, 19 June 2015

Few
facts are actually known about the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. When I was doing
my research fact often blurred with legend. Marie Laveau was born free in the
French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1801.

Folklore
claims she had a snake named Zombi (after an African god), combined voodoo with
Catholicism, and at one time worked as a hairdresser, but there is little
evidence to support that. She had a daughter by the same name who also followed
in her footsteps as a Voodoo priestess.

Both
Marie Laveau and her daughter had a large following. They performed lavish
ceremonies that drew a crowd of people from all walks of life white, mulatto,
and black. Some attended because of mere curiosity as my heroine Violet does,
and others truly believed in her power.

While
she is minor character in my story it was fun bringing Marie Laveau to life.
Since little is known about her I could create her how I wanted!

Blurb:

With
her reputation in tatters, debutante Violet Creed is forced to exchange her
life of luxury for one of uncertainty. Mark Afton wants nothing more than to
take his rightful place as the leader of the Bayou Pack, but he needs a mate.
Is Violet Mark’s destined mate, or is their attraction merely Voodoo magic?
Haley Whitehall is pleased to present Alpha’s Voodoo, Book 1 of her hot, new,
paranormal romance series, Bayou Pack.

Are
curses real or merely imagined?

Violet
Creed is a colored New Orleans debutante. She was brought up with servants and
a strict set of rules regarding propriety, and her papa never approved of her
interest in Voodoo. One night she sneaks out of the house and attends one of
Marie Laveau’s gatherings—where she loses her virginity and her reputation.
Turned out by her papa, Violet is destined for a life on the streets until
Madam Dawn saves her.

Cursed
to live as a wolf shifter, Mark Afton is a wealthy lawyer and heir to the Bayou
Pack. Unfortunately, he can’t take over leadership from his uncle without a
mate. Wanting to escape his mother’s endless matchmaking attempts, he accepts
Madam Dawn’s invitation to sail on the maiden voyage of the Southern Rose and
enjoy the pleasurable company of her ladies.

One
of Madam Dawn’s recent hires catches his attention. He is drawn to Violet immediately.
Could she be his mate or is their attraction merely Voodoo?

Violet
struggled to straighten her dress as she ran. Her hair was a tangled mess of
sloppy braids, twisted around her head like Medusa’s snakes. She wished she
could stop and look at herself in the mirror to properly put her attire to
rights, but at this late hour she couldn’t even see her reflection in a store
window.

She
knew it was dangerous to be out this late unaccompanied. Her pulse roared in
her ears, and her shoes clipped on the sidewalk as she strode swiftly home.
When she got closer to the Creed estate she slowed her steps, lest she make
herself known. She slipped through the gate and hurried up the walk.

The
soreness between her legs remained and she feared she looked as wanton as she
felt. The night had not gone as she had planned. Well, all except for the
sneaking out unnoticed part. The crowd that had gathered to listen to Marie
Laveau speak stretched on as far as she could see. Yet, she did not get lost
among the many white, brown and black faces. Somehow the Voodoo Queen’s magic
had found her.

She
swallowed hard, unable to get the picture of the man’s face out of her mind.
The white man had seemed drawn to her. He’d kissed her and then as if by magic
they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Her conscience kept telling her
it was wrong, but she couldn’t control herself.

Shaking
her head, she forced that image to fall away, and continued toward the house.
When she saw the lamp burning in the window her heart forgot how to beat.

Haley
Whitehall lives in Washington State where she enjoys all four seasons and the
surrounding wildlife. She writes historical romance set in the 19th century
U.S. When she is not researching or writing, she plays with her cats, watches
the Western and History Channels, and goes antiquing. She is hoping to build a
time machine so she can go in search of her prince charming. A good book, a cup
of coffee, and a view of the mountains make her happy.

Friday, 12 June 2015

Lauren Linwood is here to introduce her new story, Leave Yesterday Behind

Blurb

Callie
Chennault vaulted to fame on the nighttime soap Sumner Falls, but after a decade of playing the same role, she is
ready for a new acting challenge. When Callie is attacked by a stalker on the
streets of New York, she takes a leave of absence from the show and returns to
her roots in Aurora, Louisiana, to heal both physically and emotionally and
determine her next career move.

Former
professional baseball pitcher Nick La Chappelle has also come to Aurora to lick
his own wounds after a messy divorce. A Cy Young winner and one-time ESPN
broadcaster, Nick longs for the quiet of a small town in order to write murder
mysteries under a pen name.

Sparks
fly when Callie believes Nick is taking advantage of her great-aunt’s
hospitality, but they resolve their differences—and surprise themselves by
falling in love. Their bond is tested when both Nick and Callie become the
focus of a serial killer nicknamed Lipstick Larry. Can they outwit a murderer
bent on seeing them dead and survive to build a lasting relationship?

Lauren Linwood’s historical romances use history as a backdrop
to place her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense
desire for one another grows into the treasured gift of love. Her romantic
suspense novels feature strong heroes and heroines who unite to defeat a clever
antagonist and discover a deep, abiding love during their journey.

A native Texan, Lauren
is an avid reader, moviegoer, and sports fan who manages stress by alternating
yoga with long walks. She plans to start a support group for House Hunters
addicts—as soon as she finishes her next piece of dark chocolate.

Thursday, 11 June 2015

Please welcome Diane Saxon today as she shares with us her new story Banshee Seduction!

Blurb

Sweet, shy librarian Ginny has a
problem. Whenever passion strikes, so do the weeping, wailing voices in her
head. Being half banshee, she’s already run screaming from the underworld and
her female relatives, believing love will find a way with patience and faith on
planet Earth.

The trouble is, humans just aren’t
man enough, and every time Ginny shows interest in a male, she makes him bleed.
It’s going to take more than just a simple human being to get past Ginny’s
defenses.

Matthew, “The Dane,” fullback for
the New York Chameleons, knows the moment he meets the little fireball that
she’s his mate. For two hundred years he and his dragon have waited for a
female capable of setting their world on fire. Problem is, he doesn’t seem to
be able to stop her from going up in flames long enough to prove he’s more than
man enough for her screaming banshee.

Will Matt ever be able to convince
Ginny she’s his mate? And will Ginny get Matt alone long enough to let him
appreciate her pyrotechnics?

He had no idea if he was going to
survive. She drove him higher than he’d ever been before, and he’d only managed
to get his hands on her and kiss her. The sweet smell of her skin, the soft
touch of her fingers—umm, well—the yank of her fingers. Desperation was evident
in every move she made, every sound she emitted from her perfect, plump lips.

He cruised his mouth back up the
length of her neck, enjoying the heavy weight of her perfumed breasts in his
hands. He sucked in the silken skin over the racing pulse at the base of her
throat. His tongue smoothed over the flesh he held in his mouth. He felt the
groan reverberate through her throat and flicked his thumb over her taut
nipple.

“Oh, oh.”

With a sharp jerk, she wrenched
her fingers from his hair and grasped his shoulders.

Thrilled at her response and keen
that at last he seemed to be going to get the chance to explore his mate, he
repeated the move with his thumb, stunned she hadn’t yet exploded into a
profusion of fireworks.

The firm grasp of her fingers
tightened on his shoulders like steel clamps. She might be a little thing, but
she sure was undeniably strong. He nipped her neck in retribution. She flung
back her head, making him flinch at the loud thunk as her skull connected with
the heavy leather-bound books behind her.

“I’m coming!” she shrieked, almost
exploding his eardrums.

He reared his head back and stared
at her. “Already?”

Bright puce flooded her face, her
lips parted, and a small keening wail escaped her. Wow, she really was responsive.
Her lush breasts heaved beneath his hands, and the thrum of her pulse escalated
to join the rhythm of his own heartbeat.

“No,” she gasped. “No…the door.”

She gave him a firm shove. Off
balance, he reeled backward into the opposite shelf. His hand caught a row of
books and sent them careering to the floor as his lunchtime leisure break took
off in the opposite direction, tugging her clothes into place and screeching at
whoever hammered on the front door.

“I’m coming. I’m coming!”

Her voice impatient, the fast clip
of her heels echoed against the stone floor as Matt glanced at the fallen books
scattered all around. He hunkered down and picked one up.

Diane Saxon lives in the
Shropshire countryside with her tall, dark, handsome husband, two gorgeous
daughters, a Dalmatian, one-eyed kitten, ginger cat, four chickens and a new
black Labrador puppy called Beau, whose name has been borrowed for her hero in
For Heaven's Cakes.

After working for years in a
demanding job, on-call and travelling great distances, Diane gave it all up
when her husband said “follow that dream”.

Having been hidden all too long,
her characters have burst forth demanding plot lines of their own and she’s
found the more she lets them, the more they’re inclined to run wild.